Title: Green Eyed
Author: Elisabeth
Rating: PG
Fandom: Heroes
Pairing: Peter/Claire, strong undertones of Isaac/Claire, mentions Peter/Simone & Isaac/Simone
Summary: Isaac's thoughts about Peter and Claire. Isaac's POV.
Spoilers: Nothing specific, but through Godsend to be safe. Takes place in the not-too-distant future.
Disclaimer: I claim no ownership over these characters. I am merely borrowing them from Tim Kring et al.
Feedback: Yes please! It makes me happy and keeps me writing, especially new pairings.
Green Eyed
Isaac shook his head as he surreptitiously watched Peter and Claire snuggled up on the ratty couch in his studio.
Who would have thought that he and Peter Petrelli would have such similar tastes in women? They had such different backgrounds and lifestyles and yet so many similarities. While Peter had rebelled against his father and become a nurse, Isaac had followed in his father's footsteps and become a junkie. Yet they had both fallen in love with Simone. And now, instead of Peter taking away his girlfriend, Isaac found himself wanting to take away Peter's.
When he'd found the drawing of Simone and Peter kissing in the rain, he'd been hurt and angry. After all of the times that Simone had begged him to get clean and threatened to leave him, she'd finally done it.
Only that wasn't the part that had hurt the most. Oh no. Then she'd had the gall to bring Peter to meet him and not only had Peter helped to save him from an overdose, but it turned out that they were somehow bound through their freakish abilities.
Yes, Isaac no longer thought of his gift as a curse. He'd cursed the need for the heroin to bring about the visions, but now that he was clean, he welcomed the trance he went into when he painted the future. It felt amazing to be doing something good. To be important.
Yet he wasn't important enough to the person he wished he could be.
When he'd begun painting the future he had painted many different women: Claire, Nikki, Charlie, and countless others whom he hadn't met yet. While Nikki had a sensuous beauty that could not be denied; like Peter, he'd found himself drawn to the young cheerleader.
He'd felt that same awe after Peter had painted Claire with her head cut open beneath Sylar's shadow, and that desire to keep her alive. But at the time he'd still been mired down by his addiction. He knew that he couldn't go with Peter to Texas to save the cheerleader. He'd go through withdrawal if he went too long without a fix, and when he gave in to temptation he'd only get lost in images of the future. No, it was best to let Peter go alone.
Unfortunately, that meant that Claire had only met Peter on that fateful night. She didn't know about the druggie artist who had foretold of her tragedy, except in passing. She wasn't able to see for herself that there were other men who wanted to keep her alive and well. So she developed a crush on Peter.
It wasn't that cut and dry, Isaac knew that. There was more to their relationship than simple hero-worship and protectiveness. But it was easier for Isaac to reign in his jealousy if he thought along those lines.
When Claire had shown up in New York after running away from home he hadn't been surprised. He'd done a sketch a few weeks earlier of Claire in his apartment and had kept it secreted away, feeling a sense of comfort from that idea.
When she had shown up with Peter, he'd felt that comfort slipping away. She was going to be staying with him, in his one bedroom apartment. Isaac told himself that it was with noble intensions that he'd offered her use of the storage room for her bedroom, but she'd said that she was fine with Peter.
Now he knew why Simone had returned to his bed so easily when she'd discovered that he was home and clean. She hadn't told him that her tryst with Peter had only lasted for a few days. That he'd told her that he couldn't be with her upon waking from his coma. He'd claimed that he was too dangerous to be around. He needed to focus on himself and learning to control his power before he could be with her. They were all excuses.
Every once in a while, he would notice Simone looking at Peter and Claire with the same longing that he did. She obviously still felt something for Peter and was jealous of Claire. Isaac wondered if she knew that he longed to be with Claire too. He knew that it was wrong to be with her when he wanted another woman - another man's woman - but he couldn't take being alone either.
Movement caught his eye and Isaac turned his attention back to the couple that was in the process of standing up.
"Hey, we're gonna go grab some dinner. Wanna come?" Peter called out to Isaac.
He longed to say yes, if only to sit next to Claire in a restaurant and pretend that Peter was the third-wheel, but he knew it would only be harder when she went home with him.
"You guys go ahead. I'm going to try to finish up the painting I started earlier."
"Would you like us to bring you something back?" Claire asked, sensing that something was bothering him and assuming it was hunger.
"Thanks Claire, but I'm good."
"Okay. We'll see you tomorrow, then," she said, pulling Peter towards the stairs.
"Have a good night," he called back.
"We will," Peter answered. Isaac didn't know if the smirk was truly in Peter's voice or if he had imagined it. Either way, it was like salt in a wound.
Opening up his sketchbook again, Isaac easily found his favorite drawing. Claire's face filled the page. It was tilted back, her hair spread out behind her head. Her eyes were closed and her mouth open in a soundless cry of pleasure.
As his fingers traced the two dimensional lips, he could only hope that this was a prediction for his future, and not just of Peter's present.
The End
Copyright© January 2007